Chapter 12: Fast Facts: Belize
Fast Facts
American Express American Express Travel Services is represented in Belize City by Belize Global Travel Services Ltd., 41 Albert St. (
227-7185), which can issue traveler’s checks and replacement cards, and provide other standard services. They are open Monday through Friday from 8am to noon and 1 to 5pm, and on Saturday from 8am to noon. To report a lost or stolen Amex credit card or traveler’s checks within Belize, call the local number above, or call collect to 336/393-1111 in the U.S.
Area Codes There are no area codes in Belize. All local phone numbers are seven-digit numbers.
ATM Networks/Cashpoints See “Money & Costs.”
Business Hours Banks are generally open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4:30pm. However, in many small towns, villages, and tourist destinations, bank hours may be limited. In very few instances, banks have begun opening on Saturday. Belizean businesses tend to be open Monday through Friday from 8am to noon and from 1 to 5pm. Some businesses do not close for lunch, and some open on Saturday. Most bars are open until 1 or 2am, although some go later.
Car Rentals See “Getting There & Getting Around” in chapter 3 and “Airline, Hotel & Rental Websites,” below.
Drinking Laws The legal drinking age in Belize is 18, although it is often not enforced. Beer, wine, and liquor are all sold in most supermarkets and small convenience stores Monday through Saturday. No liquor is sold on Good Friday or Easter Sunday. On Election Day, no liquor can be sold until 6pm.
Driving Rules See “Getting There & Getting Around.”
Drugstores There are a handful of pharmacies around Belize City and in most of the major towns and tourist destinations. Perhaps the best-stocked pharmacy in the country can be found at Belize Medical Associates, 5791 St. Thomas Kings Park, Belize City ( 223-0303; www.belizemedical.com).
Electricity Electricity is 110-volt AC, and most outlets are either two- or three-prong U.S.-style outlets.
If you wish to access the Internet with your own computer, bring a connection kit of the right power and phone adapters, a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet network cable—or find out whether your hotel supplies them to guests.
Embassies & Consulates The United States Embassy is located in Belmopan on Floral Park Road ( 822-4011; http://belize.usembassy.gov). The British High Commission is located in Belmopan at Embassy Square ( 822-2981; www.ukinbelize.fco.gov.uk). You can contact the Canadian Honorary Consul in Belize City at 80 Princess Margaret Dr. ( 223-1060).
Emergencies In case of an emergency, dial 90 from anywhere in Belize. This will connect you to the police. In most cases, 911 will also work. I’ve listed the various numbers for fire departments, ambulances, and hospitals in the “Fast Facts” sections throughout the book.
Gasoline (Petrol) Gasoline is sold as “unleaded” and “super.” Both are unleaded; super is just higher octane. Diesel is available at most gas stations as well. At press time, a gallon of super cost around BZ$10.
Holidays For more information on holidays, see “Belize Calendar of Events” in chapter 3.
Hospitals Belize Medical Associates, 5791 St. Thomas Kings Park, Belize City ( 223-0303; www.belizemedical.com), is a modern, 24-hour private hospital, with emergency care and numerous private-practice physicians. The country’s main public hospital, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, Princess Margaret Drive, Belize City ( 223-1548), is also open 24 hours and has a wide range of facilities and services.
Insurance For information on traveler’s insurance, trip-cancellation insurance, and medical insurance while traveling, please visit www.frommers.com/planning.
Internet Access Cybercafes can be found at most major tourist destinations around Belize. Wi-Fi is also increasingly common, and many hotels are offering it free. Throughout the book, I list that hotels provide free, or for a fee, Wi-Fi and high-speed Ethernet access. For help locating cybercafes and other establishments where you can go for Internet access, please see the destination chapters throughout this book.
Language English is the official language of Belize, and it is almost universally spoken. However, Belize is a very polyglot country, and you are likely to hear and come across Spanish, Creole, and Garífuna. For some help in communicating in Spanish and Creole, see chapter 13.
Laundromats Most folks rely on their hotel’s laundry and dry-cleaning services, although these can be expensive. Where they exist, I’ve listed laundromats and laundry options in the “Fast Facts” sections of the destination chapters.
Legal Aid If you need legal help, your best bet is to first contact your local embassy or consulate. See “Embassies & Consulates,” above, for contact details. Alternatively, ask at your hotel for an appropriate recommendation.
Lost & Found Be sure to tell all of your credit card companies the minute you discover that your wallet has been lost or stolen, and file a report at the nearest police precinct. Your credit card company or insurer may require a police report number or record of the loss. Most credit card companies have an emergency toll-free number to call if your card is lost or stolen; they may be able to wire you a cash advance immediately or deliver an emergency credit card in a day or two. It’s a good idea to write this number down and carry it someplace separate from your wallet or credit cards. Visa’s emergency number is 800/847-2911 toll-free in the U.S., or call 410/581-9994 collect from Belize. American Express cardholders and traveler’s check holders should call 800/221-7282 toll-free in the U.S., or 336/393-1111 collect from Belize. MasterCard holders should call 800/627-8372 toll-free in the U.S., or 636/722-7111 collect from Belize.
If you need emergency cash over the weekend when all banks and American Express offices are closed, you can have money wired to you via Western Union ( 800/325-6000 in the U.S. and Canada, or 227-0014 in Belize; www.westernunion.com), although the service charges are substantial.
Mail Most hotels will post a letter for you, and there are post offices in the major towns. It costs BZ$1 to send a letter to the United States, and BZ$1.20 to send a letter to Europe. Postcards to the same destinations cost BZ$.50 and BZ$.60, respectively.
If your postal needs are urgent, or you want to send anything of value, several international courier and express-mail services have offices in Belize City, including DHL, 41 Hydes Lane ( 223-4350; www.dhl.com); FedEx, 1 Mapp St. ( 224-5221; www.fedex.com); and Trans Express, 41 Albert St. ( 227-2332). All can arrange pickup and delivery services to any hotel in town, and sometimes in the different outlying districts.
Measurements American measurements are the norm in Belize, although the metric system is making slight inroads.
Newspapers & Magazines Belize has no daily newspaper. There are four primary weeklies: Amandala (www.amandala.com.bz, the Reporter (www.reporter.bz), Belize Times (www.belizetimes.bz), and the Guardian (www.guardian.bz). Most come out on Friday, and all are relatively similar in terms of content, although with some differing and usually obvious political leanings. Amandala and the Reporter actually publish twice weekly and are my favorites.
Passports See www.frommers.com/planning for information on how to obtain a passport.
For Residents of Australia Contact the Australian Passport Information Service at 131-232, or visit the government website at www.passports.gov.au.
For Residents of Canada Contact the central Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 ( 800/567-6868; www.ppt.gc.ca).
For Residents of Ireland Contact the Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 ( 01/671-1633; www.irlgov.ie/iveagh).
For Residents of New Zealand Contact the Passports Office at 0800/225-050 in New Zealand or 04/474-8100, or log on to www.passports.govt.nz.
For Residents of the United Kingdom Visit your nearest passport office, major post office, or travel agency or contact the United Kingdom Passport Service at 0870/521-0410 or search its website at www.ukpa.gov.uk.
For Residents of the United States To find your regional passport office, either check the U.S. State Department website or call the National Passport Information Center toll-free number ( 877/487-2778) for automated information.
Police The police in Belize are generally rather helpful; there is a dedicated tourism police force in Belize City. Dial 90 or 911 in an emergency. You can also dial 227-2222.
Smoking Belize has yet to pass any no-smoking legislation, and aside from a handful of hotels that are entirely nonsmoking, few others have true nonsmoking rooms or floors. Similarly, many restaurants don’t have a nonsmoking section. Luckily, so much dining in Belize is alfresco that this may not be a problem, especially if you can snag an upwind seat.
Taxes There is a US$39 departure fee that must be paid in cash (in either U.S. or Belize dollars) at the international airport upon departure, although sometimes the fees are already included in your airline ticket; the land exit fee is US$19. There is a 9% hotel tax added to all hotel bills, and there is a 12.5% GST tax on all goods and services. A 10% service charge is sometimes added to restaurant bills. Take this into account when deciding how much to tip (if the service is really good, an extra 5%–10% is fine).
Telephones Belize has a standardized seven-digit phone numbering system. There are no city or area codes to dial from within Belize; use the country code, 501 (not to be confused with the area code for the state of Arkansas), only when dialing a Belizean number from outside Belize.
For directory assistance: Dial 113 if you’re looking for a number inside Belize; for numbers to all other countries, dial 115 and (for a charge) an operator will connect you to an international directory assistance operator.
For operator assistance: If you need operator assistance in making a call, dial 115, whether you’re trying to make a local or an international call.
Toll-free numbers: Numbers beginning with 0800 and 800 within Belize country are toll-free, but calling a 1-800 number in the States from Belize is not toll-free. In fact, it costs the same as an overseas call.
See “Staying Connected” for tips on calling to and from Belize.
Time Belize is on Central Standard Time, 6 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. Belize does not observe daylight saving time.
Tipping Most Belizeans don’t tip. Many restaurants add a 10% service charge. However, if the service is particularly good, or if the service charge is not included, tipping is appropriate.
Toilets There are very few public toilets or restrooms in Belize. About the only ones I know of are located at the little cruise-ship tourist village on Fort Street in the Fort George section of Belize City. However, most hotels and restaurants will let tourists use their facilities.
Water The water in most major cities and tourist destinations in Belize is ostensibly safe to drink. However, many travelers react adversely to water in foreign countries, and it is probably best to drink bottled water throughout your visit to Belize.
Airline, Hotel & Rental Websites
Airlines
Air France
Air New Zealand
Alitalia
American Airlines
British Airways
Caribbean Airlines (formerly BWIA)
Continental Airlines
Cubana
Delta Air Lines
Iberia Airlines
Japan Airlines
Korean Air
Lan Airlines
Lufthansa
Philippine Airlines
Qantas Airways
South African Airways
Swiss Air
TACA
United Airlines
US Airways
Car-Rental Agencies
Avis
Budget
Hertz
Thrifty
Major Hotel & Motel Chains
Best Western International
Radisson Hotels & Resorts